.png){kind=logo}
Aurora Ohio is in Portage County and is one of the best places to live in Ohio! It's a small town with around 16,000 residents and offers residents a sparse suburban feel. There are a lot of parks and the public schools in Aurora are highly rated. If you're looking to move to Aurora Ohio, make sure you read this article because I will be discussing the pros and cons on EXACTLY what it's like living here.
Pro #1 - Great School System
Aurora isn't a large town, serving around 3,000 students total, but it has some of the top rated schools around! The Aurora School district was ranked within the top 5% of all 938 school districts in Ohio. There are a total of 5 schools in Aurora:
Pre-K (Miller Elementary)
Elementary schools (Craddock and Leighton Elementary)
Middle school (Harmon)
Aurora High school.
Take a look at the high stadium!! The school district puts a huge emphasis on giving students an opportunity to success in school, and after school, offering a bunch of extra curricular activities. The school district excels in College readiness.
It all comes down to the teachers. Aurora has very qualified teachers and is ranked #11 out of 608 school districts. The Aurora public schools does NOT have open enrollment and you must be an Aurora resident for your children to attend the school district.
Pro #2 - Very Safe City
Walk down the street at night and feel safe with no worries, such a great feeling! You don't have to worry about violent crimes here, the biggest thing to worry about is property crimes. The crime rates in Aurora are 68% lower than the national average and for violent crimes, it is 98% lower than the national average. Year over year, crime has decreased by 20%!
Like I stated earlier, Aurora isn't a huge city and is a quiet suburban area. The median age in Aurora is 46 years old, so it's safe to say that Aurora is a "family"town. Crime is much more likely to occur in urban areas where the population is dense.
Pro #3 - Location
We can't over look the location! Aurora Ohio is located on the border of Portage County so you have easy access to Summit and Cuyahoga County.
You're about a 35 min drive to Cleveland and a 35 min drive to Akron so pretty much right in the middle! You have a bunch of awesome cities surround Aurora like Hudson, Twinsburg, Solon, and Streetsboro. The average commute to work in Aurora is 26 minutes so residents are driving pretty far to work. Most of the larger businesses are found on route 43. It is also the main road for transportation so during 3pm-6pm, the roads can get pretty congested.
Pro #4 - Plenty of Outdoor Parks and Shopping
The city provides several entertaining activities for visitors of all ages, ranging from a quiet afternoon at a state park or shopping at the Aurora Farm Premium outlet. Fine dining, ample shopping and live entertainment are among the many fun things to do in Aurora. One of my favorite parks in Aurora is Sunny Lake park!
The park offers two well kept playgrounds, a paved walking path along the lake, several picnic areas to relax, volleyball court, canoes, and plenty of parking... What's not to like about Sunny lake park?! When I go to the park, I always run the trails. It is very scenic and you will always see other runners out there as well.
Afterwards, you can hit up the shopping outlet at Aurora Farms Premium outlet on route 43. There are over 60+ designer and name brand outlet stores including Michael Kors, North Face, Nice, Saks Fifth Avenue, Coach, and much more!
Don't let the empty parking lot in the video fool you, the outlet gets busy!
Con #1 - High Property Taxes
Ewww, no one wants to pay more in taxes! It's not the highest tax rate around, but Aurora's tax rate is 1.9%. Now of course this is all relative. I had a couple move up to Aurora from Texas and their property taxes in Texas was 4.2%! The couple ended up saving around $500 a month in taxes alone.
Con #2 - Aurora is a Small City
Why is this a con?! Well to some people this is a con because if you want to do stuff with the family, unfortunately you have to hop in the car and drive to near by cities. Basically, Aurora doesn't offer a lot to do besides outdoor parks, restaurants, and shopping. However, the trade off is that there is a focus on high quality, outdoor recreation activities that offers residents and visitors a quiet, relaxing environment.
Since Aurora doesn't offer too much to do, a lot of people don't visit Aurora so the city is known as a tight knit, closed off community... with a huge emphasis on Community!! If you don't mind driving to do things, then this may not be a con to you. One thing that Aurora does offer though is some delicious food! Some of the best food in my opinion are:
Con #3 - Aurora is Expensive
On a scale out of a scale of 100, 100 being the national average, Aurora is ranked at 101 in overall cost of living. Just slightly higher than the national average, but it is much higher than Ohio's national average. The biggest notable index is the housing at 117.7, that's double Ohio's average.
The median home vale is at $300,000, but of course have to realize, year over year, this data is always fluctuating. Aurora is filled with beautiful housing developments so there are plenty of community options. One of the nicest and most exclusive communities is Barrington Estates, which is located on a jack Nicklaus Signature Golf course. I have only play on this course once and it was GORGEOUS!!!
Conclusion- Who is Aurora right for?
If you enjoy excellent schools, consistent population growth, an attractive housing market, low crime and a high household income, then Aurora is right for you! If you're thinking about moving to the area, make sure you reach out to me so I can help you find the perfect place for you and your family.
Comments